i was lucky this semester because the required reading were already available. The photocopy lady was there outside my class, so I just bought the photocopied readings that were already put together and stapled neatly.
some lecturers won't care if you don't attend class or if you attend class late. however, if you missed 3 classes, then there's a chance that you will be barred from sitting for the exam. And if you attend class late, then you will have missed what the lecturer covered earlier . they also won't care if you understand the class or not. it's up to you to go up to them and ask them questions. some lecturers are happy when student ask questions. it's a pity that most students choose to stay quite when the lecturer asks, 'Are there any questions?'
you've get to be more independent. There is no mummy to cook you home-cooked meals every day. However, if you live near home, then lucky you! if not, you are stuck with the cafeteria food although some stalls are not that bad. if you don't want to eat at the cafeteria every single day, you can opt to go to the coffee shops outside the university, if there are any.
Some students probably have to do their own laundry for the first time when they go to university. it was quite fun to go to the bathroom and there are people there clothes, right? If you are too lazy to wash your clothes by hand, you can use the washing machines.
At school, you'll meet your classmates every day and then get to know them easily. At university, you won't get to know all your course mates in the first semester. That's because there are so many of them and you won't meet them every day. it depends on the courses all of you are taking. Maybe you will meet some people more often than others.
it's unfortunate that the that the students still prefer to stay in cliques, like Chinese students mix more with their Chinese friends, Indian friends and Malays with their Malay friends. I would really like to see everyone mixing with everyone. There are some people who do mix around and that's good for them!
You are in charge of your own life. Nobody will boss you around or nag at you. Your parents won't be there to wake you up in the morning, they won't scold you if you go online for hours, nobody will force you to go to your room and study, etc. Well, if you have friends who are bossy and force you to study, it's good because then, you'll actually study.
It's also easy to get lost in cyber world because there are free Wi-Fi sports all over the campus. But do make sure you spend your time wisely. Don't get too caught up blogging or chatting on MSN because then, you would have wasted time that you should have spent on studying.
Another thing is assignments. Your lecturer will give you assignments probably around the first or second week of the semester. Then you will have to hand in the assignment around the 10th week. So you will have about 8 weeks to do research and write out your assignments. Unfortunately, some people only start doing their assignments one week before the due date, which is not very good. Because then, your assignment won't look good as it is late minute work.
University life is fun because you can join lots of exciting activities, clubs, societies, and then you will meets lots of new people, some you may like, some you may not like so much, etc.
However, the most important thing is that you will experience new things. You will learn a lot from your courses, your activities, your friends and your lecturers. You will learn to stand on your own two feet. University really prepares you for life. But then, don't forget to enjoy yourself while learning hard at the same time.